Local authorities announced Monday that a child in New York State has died from measles. The state had not recorded a death from the disease in the past 30 years.
The child was from Lewis County, near the Canadian border. The death has renewed concerns about the spread of measles in the United States.
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Expressing her sorrow over the child’s death, New York Governor Kathy Hochul described the incident as a sobering reminder of the dangers of diseases that can be prevented through vaccination.
Since the beginning of this year, the number of confirmed measles cases in the United States has reached 4,834. New York State declared a state of emergency in October after cases increased.
Vaccination programs enabled U.S. authorities to declare measles eliminated in the country in 2000. But in recent years, declining vaccination rates and growing distrust of health institutions have fueled the disease’s resurgence.
Alongside concerns about measles returning, debates have also emerged over the health policies of President Donald Trump’s administration and Health Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr.’s views on vaccination.
High fever, breathing difficulties and a skin rash are signs of measles, a highly contagious disease. Severe cases can involve serious complications, including pneumonia and inflammation of the brain, which can cause lasting effects or death.
In the United States, hundreds of children died from measles each year before the vaccine was discovered in the early 1960s. Worldwide, the disease continues to claim tens of thousands of lives.
